Obesity is Never Healthful

December 1st, 2013

Researchers followed 6,500 "apparently healthy" obese men and women, ages 25 to 64, for six to 10 years, and found that they were at high risk for diabetes and heart attacks (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, published online November 20, 2013). The risk for developing diabetes increases with each increase in BMI, a measure of body fat.

Definition of "Apparently Healthy" Obesity
The researchers defined “apparently healthy” as having normal blood pressure, fasting insulin levels, triglycerides, HDL (good) cholesterol, and blood sugar levels; no insulin resistance and low levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. However, they found that all of these measures eventually tended to become abnormal, moving from "apparently healthy" to a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Study author Dr. Carlos Lorenzo says: "All people who are obese face an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the future."

Death Rate in Diabetics Related to Weight
Another new study shows that the more diabetics weigh, the more likely they are to die. A group of 11,427 female nurses and male health professionals who had been diagnosed with diabetes were followed for more than 15 years. Those who were under 65 year old when diagnosed with diabetes had a death rate directly related with how much they weighed (New England Journal of Medicine, January 16, 2014). Those diagnosed with diabetes after age 65 had so many other health problems that it was not possible to isolate the association of weight with death.

More than 24 million Americans have diabetes, mostly Type 2, the kind that is associated with being overweight. More than 70 percent of North American adults are overweight, and more than 35 percent are obese. The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to develop diabetes. Excess weight also increases risk for cancer, heart attacks, strokes and dementia.

If You Are Overweight
The problem with becoming a little bit overweight is that it almost always leads to becoming a lot overweight. See my report on Why Being Overweight is Dangerous for Most People. Anyone who is overweight should work on losing weight and make the same lifestyle changes that are recommended for people who already have diabetes: